Before I read this forum I'd never encountered "spend" as a noun, e.g. "my annual spend". It grates against my eyeballs. Should be "spending".

Me neither, but I use it now. Is it a British thing? Or an Australian thing? Or even a Canadian thing? Because it's a more efficient way of getting the point across (spend instead of spending), I embrace it.

Before I read this forum I'd never encountered "spend" as a noun, e.g. "my annual spend". It grates against my eyeballs. Should be "spending".

Me neither, but I use it now. Is it a British thing? Or an Australian thing? Or even a Canadian thing? Because it's a more efficient way of getting the point across (spend instead of spending), I embrace it.

I dunno where it originated. I don't know where any of the things that bug me originate: starting a reply to a question with "So...", constant use of "right?" as an emphasizer, etc. You hear it once and then all of a sudden it's all over the place, like the decision has been made in a smoke-filled room somewhere that this is how we're going to talk from now on. (Don't get me started on "in the future" or "from now on" being replaced by "going/moving forward".)

It just struck me as another example of the nounification-of-verbs trend. Although it appears to be common in some circles, I only recently encountered "ask" as a noun, e.g. "that's a big ask". No matter how hard I tried, I could not un-hear it.

Before I read this forum I'd never encountered "spend" as a noun, e.g. "my annual spend". It grates against my eyeballs. Should be "spending".

Me neither, but I use it now. Is it a British thing? Or an Australian thing? Or even a Canadian thing? Because it's a more efficient way of getting the point across (spend instead of spending), I embrace it.

I dunno where it originated. I don't know where any of the things that bug me originate: starting a reply to a question with "So...", constant use of "right?" as an emphasizer, etc. You hear it once and then all of a sudden it's all over the place, like the decision has been made in a smoke-filled room somewhere that this is how we're going to talk from now on. (Don't get me started on "in the future" or "from now on" being replaced by "going/moving forward".)

It just struck me as another example of the nounification-of-verbs trend. Although it appears to be common in some circles, I only recently encountered "ask" as a noun, e.g. "that's a big ask". No matter how hard I tried, I could not un-hear it.

I love the verbification-of-nouns trend. 'Math' is a great example. We here on this forum know how to math, but those poor suckers on the outside can't math worth a crap.

Before I read this forum I'd never encountered "spend" as a noun, e.g. "my annual spend". It grates against my eyeballs. Should be "spending".

Me neither, but I use it now. Is it a British thing? Or an Australian thing? Or even a Canadian thing? Because it's a more efficient way of getting the point across (spend instead of spending), I embrace it.

I dunno where it originated. I don't know where any of the things that bug me originate: starting a reply to a question with "So...", constant use of "right?" as an emphasizer, etc. You hear it once and then all of a sudden it's all over the place, like the decision has been made in a smoke-filled room somewhere that this is how we're going to talk from now on. (Don't get me started on "in the future" or "from now on" being replaced by "going/moving forward".)

It just struck me as another example of the nounification-of-verbs trend. Although it appears to be common in some circles, I only recently encountered "ask" as a noun, e.g. "that's a big ask". No matter how hard I tried, I could not un-hear it.

I love the verbification-of-nouns trend. 'Math' is a great example. We here on this forum know how to math, but those poor suckers on the outside can't math worth a crap.

You're right that is kinda cool. People on this forum also know how to grammar :)

Can = ability; may = permissionAttorneys general not Attorney generals or sisters in law not sister in laws.My final one for now is 'repluralising'; 'agendas'. Agendum is singular, agenda is plural, agendas is nonsense.

I think 2 and 3 here are examples where the "right" way makes sense only if you know how the word came into English. But I wouldn't want to take that to its ridiculous conclusion, because then we'd need "attorneys generals", because the word order has been retained from French, so why not the agreement on the (original) adjective, too?

Also, if we do the history thing, can/may falls apart, as they both come from words relating to ability ('can' is related to 'know' and 'cunning', 'may' is related to 'mighty').

We would always get corrected on the can/may as children and took great delight in catching out the parents on rare occasions. My father was a German teacher and I think I pick up more grammar from him and studying German in school than all the lessons in English.

My sister has studied Latin and German as a double major at university and achieved a 4.0 GPA in Latin so she can at times be very extreme on the GN scale.

I hate when someone uses "learn" when the mean "teach". It drives me bonkers. I work with guys who have no idea about their/there/they're to/too, or bring/take and I try to let it all slide. But learn/teach pushes my buttons.

I think that might be a southern thing. I used to hear that all the time in the South, but I don't hear it too much in the mid-Atlantic region.

I first heard Scottish friends say it (needs done, needs fixed, needs murdered etc.), but I do hear it occasionally from other people these days and I suspect I have said it myself. I like it. It has a ring of brisk practicality to me. :) I have yet to see it written, aside from the above.

P.S. Was it a faux pas to use :) in a grammar thread?

This is from a few pages ago, but I live near the Mason-Dixon line, and I skip "to be" ALL THE TIME when speaking. In writing I go back and forth, and sometimes need someone else to proofread an important document for me, because I don't notice that "to be" is missing. I guess it's implied inside my head? However, my family is also Scotch-Irish and definitely fall into the thrifty/Presbyterian Scots group, so maybe it's just been passed through the generations. Or it could be a regional thing. But I had a friend in college who called me out on it at least once a week, and until then I didn't know I was doing it.

My pet peeve is people presuming to demand a rigorous approach to language despite the max planck institute linguistika having established that spoken language is universally fraught with irregularities and errors which are forgiven because conversation exists in a space of cooperation and generosity. Also when the people complaining about a supposed error are literally blind to whether the supposed error is in fact in error.

I think that might be a southern thing. I used to hear that all the time in the South, but I don't hear it too much in the mid-Atlantic region.

I first heard Scottish friends say it (needs done, needs fixed, needs murdered etc.), but I do hear it occasionally from other people these days and I suspect I have said it myself. I like it. It has a ring of brisk practicality to me. :) I have yet to see it written, aside from the above.

What a great thread. Most of my little annoyances have been covered already. I will add to the list, shortened versions of words being used instead of the whole word. I hear people calling things glam, for example. That makes my skin crawl.

I live in Asia so I do see a lot of absolute corkers but some of my favourites are the ones that are pretty close but just not quite there...examples include...

I can see a sign out of my window for an insurance company called Insular Life. (Insurance for the small minded or isolated?)

I walked past a restaurant today offering Subversive Filipino Cuisine. (Shall we alert the authorities about an impending culinary takeover with force involved?)

Oh and something I see a lot is the misuse of the word serviced. I saw an ad for a real estate agency that has claimed to have been servicing the senior management of many high profile companies for years. (Now this may not come across as rude to Americans but the Brits would have a field day with that.)

It just struck me as another example of the nounification-of-verbs trend. Although it appears to be common in some circles, I only recently encountered "ask" as a noun, e.g. "that's a big ask". No matter how hard I tried, I could not un-hear it.

Ouch, I can feel my second-grade teacher rapping my knuckles for using "talk" when I should say "speak".

In the non-profit world, an "ask" is a request for support, typically monetary. I'm so used to the term that I'm surprised at the blank looks it generates should I unthinkingly use it outside of non-profit circles.

I love that this thread is still generating new input. It offers great food for thought and reminds me that perfect grammar is a myth. Excellent grammar is worth striving for, but pursuit of absolute grammatical perfection is folly.

What a great thread. Most of my little annoyances have been covered already. I will add to the list, shortened versions of words being used instead of the whole word. I hear people calling things glam, for example. That makes my skin crawl.

I live in Asia so I do see a lot of absolute corkers but some of my favourites are the ones that are pretty close but just not quite there...examples include...

I can see a sign out of my window for an insurance company called Insular Life. (Insurance for the small minded or isolated?)

I walked past a restaurant today offering Subversive Filipino Cuisine. (Shall we alert the authorities about an impending culinary takeover with force involved?)

Oh and something I see a lot is the misuse of the word serviced. I saw an ad for a real estate agency that has claimed to have been servicing the senior management of many high profile companies for years. (Now this may not come across as rude to Americans but the Brits would have a field day with that.)

As an American this claim would make me giggle.

As a senior manager in a high profile company, this claim would prompt me to ask for an in-person meeting before deciding to hire them on.

It just struck me as another example of the nounification-of-verbs trend. Although it appears to be common in some circles, I only recently encountered "ask" as a noun, e.g. "that's a big ask". No matter how hard I tried, I could not un-hear it.

Shakespeare turned tons of nouns into verbs and verbs into adjectives and so on

It just struck me as another example of the nounification-of-verbs trend. Although it appears to be common in some circles, I only recently encountered "ask" as a noun, e.g. "that's a big ask". No matter how hard I tried, I could not un-hear it.

Ouch, I can feel my second-grade teacher rapping my knuckles for using "talk" when I should say "speak".

In the non-profit world, an "ask" is a request for support, typically monetary. I'm so used to the term that I'm surprised at the blank looks it generates should I unthinkingly use it outside of non-profit circles.

I love that this thread is still generating new input. It offers great food for thought and reminds me that perfect grammar is a myth. Excellent grammar is worth striving for, but pursuit of absolute grammatical perfection is folly.

I think it has to do with the novelty of the word and how accustomed you are to hearing it. For example, does it bother you if someone says they'll be "making a call"? Instead of calling someone? I'm sure the first time that was used, it was considered non-standard.

Just curious, how many people were taught the subjunctive mood and how many still use it? (If I were rich vs If I was rich)

I notice as time goes by and I have fewer people to converse with that were taught this manner of speech, it's disappearing from my conversations. Sometimes I hear myself and then think ooooh, where did THAT come from? I've also read that there was never any basis in the language for subjunctive mood, but that it was introduced in some fancy school in England in the 19th century as a shibboleth to identify who did or didn't have proper breeding, schooling, etc. there is something to say about language evolution if words can be bred IN for the exclusive purpose of selective exclusion. But I guess that's where all slang starts too?

Not using the subjunctive is one of those grammar things that secretly drives me wild. I can't hear anyone say "If I was.." without mentally editing it to "If I were.."

I haven't looked into it, but I would think that there is a historical basis for it. Don't most languages related to English have the equivalent?

It's not grammar, but while I'm griping I would toss in my dislike of using nouns as verbs ("I would like to gift you a punch in the mouth.")

I will add to the list, shortened versions of words being used instead of the whole word. I hear people calling things glam, for example. That makes my skin crawl.

oh god I hate this so much. thank you for the validation.

I already noted that. I actually don't really mind "glam" for some reason but may God have mercy on your soul if you say or write "totes," "deets," or something like that to me because I will not.

Whatevs!

But seriously, what's the cutoff for shortened versions? You'd be looked at like you had a third head if you used web log now instead of blog, even though Blog is the shortened version. Many other examples exist, although most of them seem technology based that I can think of off the top of my head (fax, cell (as in phone), etc)

But seriously, what's the cutoff for shortened versions? You'd be looked at like you had a third head if you used web log now instead of blog, even though Blog is the shortened version. Many other examples exist, although most of them seem technology based that I can think of off the top of my head (fax, cell (as in phone), etc)

Yeah, what Eric said. Maybe the new shortenings seem to be mostly tech words (ooh, I didn't write "technology", bad bad me) because older shortenings are invisible to us (as shortenings). Taxi, bus, cab, mob, pop (music)... hmm, I guess some of those are tech words, just older tech.

And if you think "weblog" will get you funny looks, try hailing a taximetered cabriolet some time!

But seriously, what's the cutoff for shortened versions? You'd be looked at like you had a third head if you used web log now instead of blog, even though Blog is the shortened version. Many other examples exist, although most of them seem technology based that I can think of off the top of my head (fax, cell (as in phone), etc)

Yeah, what Eric said. Maybe the new shortenings seem to be mostly tech words (ooh, I didn't write "technology", bad bad me) because older shortenings are invisible to us (as shortenings). Taxi, bus, cab, mob, pop (music)... hmm, I guess some of those are tech words, just older tech.

And if you think "weblog" will get you funny looks, try hailing a taximetered cabriolet some time!

Yeah ... I think it's just really subjective and not especially rational. I don't mind "blog" or any of the words Gerard listed. But I hate "comfy," "cray," "veggies," and "din" (which my spouse regularly uses to refer to "dinner" even though he KNOWS I hate it). For example.

*cue outraged posters who say "veggies" all the time and are super offended about my personal word preference*

I will add to the list, shortened versions of words being used instead of the whole word. I hear people calling things glam, for example. That makes my skin crawl.

oh god I hate this so much. thank you for the validation.

I already noted that. I actually don't really mind "glam" for some reason but may God have mercy on your soul if you say or write "totes," "deets," or something like that to me because I will not.

Whatevs!

But seriously, what's the cutoff for shortened versions? You'd be looked at like you had a third head if you used web log now instead of blog, even though Blog is the shortened version. Many other examples exist, although most of them seem technology based that I can think of off the top of my head (fax, cell (as in phone), etc)

I think you mean cell as in cellular phone. Get it right you damn hippy. But totes on everything else.

But seriously, what's the cutoff for shortened versions? You'd be looked at like you had a third head if you used web log now instead of blog, even though Blog is the shortened version. Many other examples exist, although most of them seem technology based that I can think of off the top of my head (fax, cell (as in phone), etc)

Yeah, what Eric said. Maybe the new shortenings seem to be mostly tech words (ooh, I didn't write "technology", bad bad me) because older shortenings are invisible to us (as shortenings). Taxi, bus, cab, mob, pop (music)... hmm, I guess some of those are tech words, just older tech.

And if you think "weblog" will get you funny looks, try hailing a taximetered cabriolet some time!

Yeah ... I think it's just really subjective and not especially rational. I don't mind "blog" or any of the words Gerard listed. But I hate "comfy," "cray," "veggies," and "din" (which my spouse regularly uses to refer to "dinner" even though he KNOWS I hate it). For example.

*cue outraged posters who say "veggies" all the time and are super offended about my personal word preference*

I want to jump off a 12 story building every time I hear an adult use baby-talk. Jammies (pajamas), din-din (dinner), etc. My 75-year old mother has recently started doing this, despite the fact that we were NEVER allowed baby-talk even when we were babies! We skipped directly from "Da-da" to "Good morning, Mother. Please pass the fruit spread"

But seriously, what's the cutoff for shortened versions? You'd be looked at like you had a third head if you used web log now instead of blog, even though Blog is the shortened version. Many other examples exist, although most of them seem technology based that I can think of off the top of my head (fax, cell (as in phone), etc)

Yeah, what Eric said. Maybe the new shortenings seem to be mostly tech words (ooh, I didn't write "technology", bad bad me) because older shortenings are invisible to us (as shortenings). Taxi, bus, cab, mob, pop (music)... hmm, I guess some of those are tech words, just older tech.

And if you think "weblog" will get you funny looks, try hailing a taximetered cabriolet some time!

Yeah ... I think it's just really subjective and not especially rational. I don't mind "blog" or any of the words Gerard listed. But I hate "comfy," "cray," "veggies," and "din" (which my spouse regularly uses to refer to "dinner" even though he KNOWS I hate it). For example.

*cue outraged posters who say "veggies" all the time and are super offended about my personal word preference*

100% agree with you on the annoying trend of adults using baby talk. I'm a grown man, and I would no more say "veggie" than I would call a cow a "moo-moo". Little kids can get away with it, but beyond that it's just bizarre.

People like to say some technology is light-years ahead of some other technology. This drives me crazy, as a light year is a measure of distance, not time!

Do you get pissed when someone says they're 'miles ahead of you' or 'three steps ahead' or 'way out in front' or 'lagging behind' or other measures of distance too, or do you just hate space?

It also doesn't make sense to me when people say they're miles ahead of me (unless they are literally miles ahead of me in a race or something). Being steps ahead makes sense, because they're not steps ahead in distance, they're steps ahead as in steps in a plan. This is particularly true for technology. Would you say some technology is miles ahead of some other technology? I don't. I think its weird. I would say it's years ahead.

I typed accept when I meant except recently. It really worried me as it's not the first time something like this has happened. I've found a few instances but only when I type with my thumbs. Is this a known thing that our brains may swap out homonyms when our thumbs are working. I'm pretty worried that this could be the first symptom of dementia. I don't know if I've done it other times and not caught it. I realize when I type with thumbs I look at keyboard and not at written words, so maybe that's part of the problem. Either way, it's embarrasing.

I typed accept when I meant except recently. It really worried me as it's not the first time something like this has happened. I've found a few instances but only when I type with my thumbs. Is this a known thing that our brains may swap out homonyms when our thumbs are working. I'm pretty worried that this could be the first symptom of dementia. I don't know if I've done it other times and not caught it. I realize when I type with thumbs I look at keyboard and not at written words, so maybe that's part of the problem. Either way, it's embarrasing.

This is why you shouldn't use your phone as your primary internet communication device and particularly not when you're sending important emails or something like that. It's way too easy to misspell or not capitalize a word or miss punctuation. I can almost always tell when someone sends me an email from their phone because of the spelling and punctuation mistakes. Oh--and the handy "sent from my (device)" message at the bottom tips me off too. :D

Is this a known thing that our brains may swap out homonyms when our thumbs are working.

I'm pretty sure it's not dementia and not thumb-based (I'm making some of this stuff up, but I'm extending from work on errors in speech and writing). One thing that's probably going on is that routinized typing encourages you to replace infrequently-typed words with frequent ones (or ones that are frequent or salient in your life); the other is that thumb typing is kind of a pain in the ass, especially for us elderly (over 30) folks, so our attention is focused on the thumb thing rather than the word/spelling retrieval thing.

I mean, you could have dementia, but this is probably not evidence of it.

Is this a known thing that our brains may swap out homonyms when our thumbs are working.

I'm pretty sure it's not dementia and not thumb-based (I'm making some of this stuff up, but I'm extending from work on errors in speech and writing). One thing that's probably going on is that routinized typing encourages you to replace infrequently-typed words with frequent ones (or ones that are frequent or salient in your life); the other is that thumb typing is kind of a pain in the ass, especially for us elderly (over 30) folks, so our attention is focused on the thumb thing rather than the word/spelling retrieval thing.

I mean, you could have dementia, but this is probably not evidence of it.